Development of an Interactive Computer Program to Produce Body Description Data

Abstract : This report documents program GEBOD (GEnerator of BODy data) an interactive computer program which produces the body description portion of the ATB (Articulated Total Body) Model input deck. The ATB Model simulates the motion and dynamic properties of the human body during events such as aircraft flight seat ejection and automobile crashes. This simulation requires the mass, center of gravity location, contact surface dimensions, joint locations, principal moments of inertia and their associated directions for each of fifteen body segments. The starting point for GEBOD was a program written by Calspan Corporation named GOOD, which was also designed to produce body description data for crash simulation models, For GEBOD, modifications and improvements include: (1) Utilization of different anthropometric data bases for computing regression equations. (2) Changes in segment contact ellipsoid and joint location definitions to make body dimensions more realistic. (3) Use of right elliptical solids in describing torso segments. (4) Incorporating flexibility and user ease into GEBOD's interactive protocol.